European Music Store Delayed?

[MacRumors]

This Independent.co.uk article reports that Apple's iTunes Music Store for Europe may be delayed further -- into next year:

Attempts by Apple Computer to launch a European version of its online "Music Store", where people can download individual songs, has been held up until next year by disputes between record companies and their artists over licensing.

According to the article, the legal issues are more complicated than in the United States, resulting in the delays. While Apple Exec Pascal Cagni only stated that it would "not be ready by September," one music industry source speculated that it would not be up until the following year.

 

[gandalf55]

well crap.

lets hope to at least see an ITunes for windows soon... gotta keep this momentum going.

 

[Longey Nowze]

I have a few question, will solo cards be accepted? what about canada? i think that would be easier, and would there be on huge music database? or would the US one be different from the euro one?? like will the euro one have different songs or something?? why don't they just give it to amazon?

thank you
MaT

edit: 2nd highest i've ever been!

 

[KLFloyd]

Re: European Music Store Delayed?

I agree, we need to roll out iTunes for Windows VERY, VERY SOON in order to beat our competition to the punch line. Apple's got a good product that needs to now grow. New artists, more songs, new customers will all help the Music Store.

It's unfortunate that the International store will be delayed, brining in again millions of potential new customers for the iTunes Music Store. At least it's good to know that Apple is actively working on the project and haven't forgotten their market overseas.

 

[Nermal]

I don't like it how they speak of it being a European store, rather than international store. It seems that countries/regions are going to be added one by one, which therefore means it may never be available in some countries (Apple doesn't even have a presence over here in NZ!)

 

[mactastic]

I guess the good news is that it will be at least as hard for anyone else to roll out an international music store either.

 

[Freg3000]

Of course this is bad news but it is to be unfortunatly expected. Hopefully the Windows store isn't behind schedule.

 

[Longey Nowze]

Originally posted by mactastic
I guess the good news is that it will be at least as hard for anyone else to roll out an international music store either.

yeah more reason to launch the windows version first!

thank you
MaT

 

[tizza]

I read a report in the paper that Apple were trying to line up iTunes Music Store for Australia too by the end of year - who knows ... guess we can only keep our fingers crossed!

 

[Ugg]

I really think they've bitten off more than they realized at the beginning. iTunes MS has the ability to be the first worldwide, truly digital delivery system of any product. What they are trying to achieve is nothing short of breathtaking. It makes sense for there to be a European iTMS, just like it makes sense to have an australasian iTMS. They would never make any money if they had to set up stores for every single country. For me, the worst thing about the delay is all that euromusic that I'm missing out on... at least I hope being in the US I'll be able to shop the iTunes selections in Europe.

 

[caveman_uk]

It strikes me that the record companies must actually like people stealing their stuff. If they wanted to stop people doing it you'd have thought they'd be rushing to back a legal alternative. You may say that CDs are a legal alternative but not everyone wants to pay £9 (minimum) for a CD with one decent song on it.

 

[Stella]

Considering we (in Canada also some European Countries) pay extra taxes on CDRs and CDRWs - specifically to compensate the record companies - we are already paying the record companies for the music we may not copy illegally.

Until there is a legal way to download songs for the rest of us, I've got little sympathy for record companies and their crying over piracy (considering the first paragraph)

 

[ipman]

Downunder

I have one word for you: Australia... AUSTRALIA!!! Come on Apple!

btw Tizza, what paper did you read about iTMS in?

 

[rjwill246]

Originally posted by Stella

Until there is a legal way to download songs for the rest of us, I've got little sympathy for record companies and their crying over piracy (considering the first paragraph)

Dead on! It was certainly not Apple's fault that a 'European/ rest of the world' Music Store was not launched with the US service, though from all the yowling from overseas that went on you would have thought that Apple purposefully chose to emasculate its obvious path to success.
The record companies are is such a defensive posture that they are immobilized by fear: they are not, after all, innovators and never have been. They luck out on some artist's success and then try and cookie-cutter that to as many of their signed artists as possible. Listen to the music behind vocalists... it sounds as if it came off the same digital session and is simply tweaked for the next song/artist. So, it is no surprise that they are in a state of petrified 'motion.'
Add to that, all the laws and royalties, covering artists to CD purchases and uses and it becomes a real mess. It can only be hoped that it gets sorted out soon, as the record companies are certainly not benefitting from their inaction. Let's see the Windows version get off the ground- that, at least would benefit Apple and the US public, while the rest of the world dickers around.

 

[tizza]

Re: Downunder

btw Tizza, what paper did you read about iTMS in?

I read about it in the "ICON" IT section of the Sydney Morning Herald a month or so back. They normally have a section about latest Mac news, and apparently Apple has been negotiating with the record company heavies for Australia.

 

[chromex]

Asia?

Has anyone heard anything about the Music Store in Asia, specifically Japan?

I thought that Japan was always a strong market for Apple, certainly when I've been there I've had no problems finding stores catering to Mac users.

Perhaps the "songs for 99cents" deal is scaring all the record companies who release 10 singles for an artist before the CD itself ever comes out

m

 

[BigJayhawk]

Can't we all just get along?

It seems that politics gets more in the way of computing than technology does.

Maybe that's why it takes Steve Jobs to move the Apple World forward instead of holding back and waiting on the "politicians of technology" to make up their minds.

Apple doesn't always INVENT the top technology but they almost ALWAYS seem to be the ones that push it forward (802.11g, bluetooth, DVD-Recording on a personal computer, and USB to name just a few.)